Our Story
Welcome to the home of authentic Basque-country striped fabrics, crafted and woven in France by Artiga, sewn & upholstered by our local makers in Canada - Find your own JOIE DE VIVRE through our stripes!
If you have visited the Basque-country in southwest France, you know about striped Basque fabric. Now for the first time in North America there is a dedicated shop for authentic, top-quality, woven-in-France Basque textiles, home décor items, and accessories. Maison-Basque combines ready-to-go made-in-France products along with Canadian made-to-order home décor offerings in Artiga stripes, proudly showcasing French and Canadian talents at work under one roof.
Maison-Basque carries vibrantly striped products from the esteemed French design house Artiga, and act as its exclusive distributor in Canada. Artiga uses centuries-old Basque weaving traditions to craft colourful contemporary striped textiles that are ideal for both indoor and outdoor use in city homes, cottages, and country houses: table linens, cushions, pillows, drapes, upholstered pieces, deck chairs, tote bags, pouches, towels and much more. Fabric yardage is also stocked and sold by the meter.
We aim to provide good guidance and service, with quality, value and personal attention in everything we do. We'll explore options that take you where you want to go, in your home or when on the go.
Find your own stripes, your own Joie de vivre! Visit us in person in Toronto during showroom hours updated weekly, or visit us virtually by appointment ( we can set up a video call) or shop at our e-shop.
Visit our You Tube channel to find out how our world of French stripes can be meaningful for your home and visit our Facebook and Instagram pages for inspirational photos.
Sign up to our newsletter, at the bottom of this page, to be kept in the loop as our maison is evolving every day.
A nos clients FRANCOPHONES:
Nous somme heureux de vous accueillir au télèphone et dans notre salle d'exposition en français. La taille modeste de notre entreprise ne nous permet pas pour le moment de maintenir deux sites professionnels en anglais et en français. Nous veillons à ne pas nous disperser ... Qui trop embrasse, mal étreint!!! afin de délivrer un bon service dans ce que nous faisons à date. Nous aurons plaisir à vous servir en français. Contactez-nous!
The story of the stripes
Centuries ago, oxen in the Basque country were draped with large linen blankets to protect them from the heat and insects. These blankets were woven out of the flax grown in the fields. The linen featured different striped patterns that identified the ownership of the oxen to a particular farm. The high quality of the fabric eventually made its way inside the farmhouses to be used as fine table and kitchen linen with a classical 7-stripe design. The 7 stripes evoked the number of provinces in the Basque country: 3 in France, 4 in Spain. In the 1980s, the world of fashion penetrated the design tradition of Basque linen, so that new colours and striped patterns took over.
Our French weaver, Artiga, is the trendsetter among its Basque peers, always looking for new frontiers to explore, mindful of today's living.